Solderless connector



Oct. 29, 1957 T. J. NEWMAN SOLDERLESS CONNECTOR Filed Aug. 7, 1956 1NVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofitice 2,81 1,704 Patented Got.29, 1957 SOLDERLESS CONNECTOR Thomas J. Newman, Canton, Ohio, assignorto Meter Devices Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of OhioApplication August 7, 1956, Serial No. 602,543

2 Claims. (Cl. 339-272) This invention relates to a solderlessconnector.

The invention is more particularly concerned with a solderless connectorfor the terminal of a stranded elec tric cable and which is generallycharacterized by a housing for receiving said cable terminal with samein abutment with a binding screw threaded into the housing and adaptedto bind the said cable terminal in fixed position in the housing.

Prior art solderless connectors embody a cable end receiving housinghaving a stop for the ends of the cable strands and binding screwengaged within a threaded aperture in the housing for binding the saidcable end in the housing.

These prior art connectors, however, make no provision for visualpositioning of the butt end of the cable within the housing with theresult that correct positioning is not assured.

Furthermore, in the prior art connectors, the cable end stop means isrigid with the housing, whereby a cable is capable of being entered intothe housing from one end thereof only, and accordingly the connectorsare restricted to the clamping of the end of a single cable.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide asolderless connector embodying a housing having cable end stop means anda binding screw engageable with a cable end disposed within the housingfor rigidly clamping the cable in position, and wherein the said housingis open at opposite ends thereof for visual inspection of said cable,and whereby accurate positioning of same within the housing is assured.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a solderlessconnector embodying an open ended housing having a cable terminalbinding screw adjustably disposed in the top wall thereof, and whereinremovable stop means is disposed at one end of the housing, whereby asingle cable having its end abutting said stop means may be securedwithin the housing by means of the said binding screws or upon removalof said stop means a pair of cable ends may be entered through oppositeends of the housing and jointly clamped in position by said screw,thereby functioning as a splice means.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a solderlesselectric cable terminal connector including an open ended housing forreceiving said cable and having stop means adjacent one end thereof, andwherein said stop means only partially closes said one end, therebypermitting visual inspection of the positioning of said cable terminal.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent inthe course of the following detailed description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is an explodedperspective view of the improved connector in accordance with apreferred structural embodiment of the invention, the dot-and-dash linesin this Fi 1 indicating the paths of relative movement of the severalcooperating elements from the separated positions shown to cooperatingoperative positions.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the connector shown secured to aninsulated base or support and with a cable end about to be positionedwithin the connector.

Figure 3 is a view partly in side elevational and partly in longitudinalvertical section and showing the cable end in clamped position.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view as observed in theplane of line 4-4 on Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the improved connector will beseen to comprise a generally rectangular open ended housing 10 includingopposite side walls 11, a top wall 12 and a bottom wall 13, the oppositeends being wholly open as shown.

The top wall 12, which may be slightly upwardly arched as shown isprovided with a threaded aperture 14 disposed intermediate the ends ofthe housing and which is adapted for reception of a cable terminalbinding screw 15. The bottom wall 13 is provided with an aperture 16,shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and for a purpose later referred to.

The connector further comprises an elongated contact plate 17 whichincludes opposite end portions 18 and 19 which are vertically offset adistance equal to the thickness of the bottom wall 13 of housing 10 asis clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. The end portion 18 is of a widthequal to the distance'between the housing side walls 11 and is adaptedto be positioned within the housing in seating engagement with thebottom wall 13 thereof. The end portion 19 is adapted to seat on theface of an insulated support 5 and the unitary adjacent ends of saidportions 18 and 19 comprise an intermediate portion 20 which is indlineddownwardly from portion 18 to portion 19. The end portion 19 is of awidth equal to the external width of the housing 10 with re sultinglaterally opposed vertical shoulders 21 for a purpose about to appear.

7 The portion 18 is provided with a threaded aperture 22 and the portion19 is provided with a threaded aperture 23.

The connector further comprises a cable terminal stop plate 24, which isrelatively thin and of rectangular form and which is of a length equalto the .width of the housing 10.

The plate 24 is provided with an elongated rectangular slot 25 ofdimensions to snugly receive the contact plate portion 18 with the plateengaged with one open end of the housing and with the lower edge thereofengaged with the support S. In the mounted position of the plates 17 and24 the shoulders 21 engage the outer face of plate 24 at opposite endsof the slot 25.

With the plates 17 and 24 assembled as in Figs. 2 and 3 the threadedaperture 22 is axially aligned with the smooth walled aperture 16 in thebottom wall 13 of the housing 10.

As is clearly indicated in Fig. 1, the improved connector comprises foursimple parts, viz. housing 10, binding screw 15, contact plate 17 andstop plate 24 and from this figure it will be apparent that assembly isquickly effected by introduction of the plate portion 18 into the slot25 of plate 24, until plate 24 engages shoulders 21 and thereafter theportion 18 is pushed into the housing 10 in engagement with the bottomWall 13 thereof and the stop plate will be clamped between an end of thehousing and said shoulders 21.

A screw 26 is extended through a vertical aperture 26 in the support S,through the aperture 16 in the housing bottom wall 13 and is engagedwithin the threaded aperture 22 in the contact plate portion 18.

A second screw 27 is extended through a second vertical aperture 27' inthe support S and is engaged within the threaded aperture 23 in thecontact plate portion 19.

It is to be particularly observed that the stop plate 24 has a verticaldimension whereby the upper edge thereof when in assembled position isdisposed substantially below the top wall 12 of the housing to providean inspection opening and in fact a like inspection opening is providedat the opposite end of the housing as is obvious from inspection of Fig.3.

While the several constituent parts of the connector are shown entirelyseparate preparatory to the connection thereof with the support S bymeans of screw 26, same may be held in pre-assembled relation as asingle unit by means of screws, or bydimpling or peening D indicated inFig. 2 or by other suitable means.

However, in order to adapt the structure for selective use as a singlecable terminal connector or for the splicing of adjacent terminals of apair of cables, it is preferable to handle the structure with thereadily separable elements as shown, whereby the stop plate 24 may beusedfor engagement with the end of a single cable as shown, or the stopplate may be omitted and a cable terminal introduced into the housingfrom each end thereof for a splicing operation.

While I have disclosed my invention in accordance with a preferredsingle structural embodiment thereof, such is to be considered asillustrative only, and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingdefined in the sub-joined claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

l. A solderless connector for electric cable terminals, comprising ahousing having top, bottom and side walls with opposed open ends, anelongated contact plate having one end portion thereof disposed withinthe housing in contact with the bottom wall thereof, a binding screwadjustably threaded through said top wall for clamping a cable terminalbetween same and said end portion of the contact plate, and a stop platesupported by said contact plate and engaging one end of said housing inpartial blocking relation to the opening therein for contact of the freeend of the terminal therewith, said stop plate being of substantiallyless height than said hous- 4 ing, whereby visibility to the interior ofthe housing is provided through the unblocked area of the said openingabove the plate.

2. A solderless connector for electric cable terminals, adapted to besecured to an insulated support, comprising a housing having top, bottomand side walls with opposed open ends, an elongated contact plateincluding opposed end portions vertically offset a distance equal to thethickness of said bottom wall, said opposed end portions beingintegrally united through an upwardly inclined intermediate portion ofthe plate, one of said end portionsof the contact plate being of a widthequal to the distance between the inner faces of said side walls, theother of said end portions together with said inclined intermediateportion being of a width greater than that of said first end portion,the extensions of said intermediate portion laterally of said first endportion being provided with vertical shoulders, said first end portionof the contact plate being disposed within said housing in seatingcontact with said bottom wall, and said second end portion beingdisposed externally of the housing with its lower face flush with thelower face of said housing and with said shoulders opposed to adjacentends of the side walls, means for securing said housing and said secondend portion of the contact plate to an insulated support, and arectangular stop plate having an elongated slot through which said firstend portion of said contact plate extends, and said shoulders engagingthe outer face of said plate with the inner face thereof engaging withsaid ends of the side walls of the housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,082,947 Fotsch June 8, 1937 2,188,135 Lee et al. Jan. 23, 19402,324,829 Dante July 20, 1943 2,732,535 Hammerly Jan. 24, 1956 FOREIGNPATENTS 542,065 Great Britain Dec. 23, 1941

